


The Circus of Dreams

by Kavute



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Developing Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, POV Alec Lightwood, kinda magical dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-31 08:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12128160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kavute/pseuds/Kavute
Summary: Magnus works at a circus. Alec is caught where he shouldn't be (thank you Jace). And so begins their unusual dates.Or The Night Circus AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No betas were harmed in the making of this work. Therefore I'm afraid there could be some mistakes.

“Jace, come on this is stupid” Alec said warily looking at the circus before them.

During the day the circus looked nothing like it looked during the night. Black and white striped tents were silent and intimidating. When sun was up the magic of the night was gone.

Previous night the circus was brimming with life. Hundreds of people were walking around lost in this unusual yet beautiful circus. Now it was dead quiet, the world still, the circus looked more like a statue than a venue. Alec and Jace were standing in front of the entrance.

_Le Cirque des Rêves_

The sign was hardly legible now. The gates were firmly shut and won’t be opened until sunset. There was another sign just by the ticket both.

_Gates Open at Nightfall & Close at Dawn_

_Trespassers Will Be Exsanguinated_

“No, it’s not.” Jace replied stubbornly. “I’ll be just in and out. 10 minutes tops. You’ll see and I’ll have something to show.”

“That’s trespassing.” Alec stated “and stealing.”

“They won’t actually exsanguinate me, you know.”

“You’re doing this just because you want to impress Clary. Not gonna work.” Alec said rolling his eyes.

“Just wait for me by the car.” Jace said not even looking at Alec anymore and started walking around the fence looking for a way in.

Alec sighed and walked back to the car. He was not going to be a part of another one of Jace’s crazy schemes. He took his tablet out and looked through his notes of the newest party he was planning. If he had to wait, he would at least do some work.

Alec was typing his third email when he noticed the time. Jace was gone for nearly an hour and Alec was starting to get worried. He got out of the car with intent of finding his brother. Somehow Jace always managed to get in trouble and somehow Alec was always the one to get him out of it.

He walked around the fence looking for a good place to sneak in. He finally reached a spot between two tents that weren’t actually touching the fence. Alec easily climbed over the tall black fence and started walking quietly down the path.

The circus was dead quiet as if no one was there, as if time itself had stopped. The air still held a faint smell of caramel and smoke of the bonfire. Wherever he looked he saw no color but black and white, even the grass beneath his feet was black. When circus was open it looked elegant, charming and quite magical. But now, now it looked cold and unwelcoming. Alec had never felt so out of place as he did right now. He had to find Jace as quickly as possible.

“You shouldn’t be here” a voice said from behind him.

Alec turned around and saw a man looking at him. His expression showed no surprise or anger, just amusement. He was clad in all black save for a few white streaks in his hair. Alec couldn’t remember if he saw this man before, he was sure he would’ve remembered if he did. The man fit in the Night Circus as if it was made for him. Elegant but somehow provocative at the same time.

“I um.. I know.” Was all Alec managed to say. The man was looking at him expectantly with a small smile. “I’m looking for my brother.”

“He shouldn’t be here either” he said not unkindly.

“Tell me about it.” The man chuckled at this.

“Where did you snuck in?”

Alec looked around to find a way he walked here but he had wandered enough through the tents that he was completely lost now.

“Well then, follow me. We don’t want anyone else to see you, dear. It would be a shame if they exsanguinated someone as pretty as you.”

This made Alec stop in his tracks.

“I’m just kidding, come on.” He said with a playful smirk and started walking again, urging Alec to follow.

The mysterious man led him through various tents and they finally reached the fence. Only this time there were a few white wooden crates lying around. Not that Alec needed their help to get to the other side. He hesitated a bit and turned to the man.

“My brother” Alec started to say but was abruptly cut off by a flourish move of a hand.

“Will be perfectly fine, don’t worry” the man said and ushered Alec over the fence.

Once he was out of the circus ground he felt it immediately. There was something in the air, something different, he couldn’t tell what it was though. Alec looked at the man who was still standing on the circus side of the fence. Now he truly looked as if he was one with the circus.

“See you tonight, Alexander” was all he said before he turned around and disappeared between the tents.

 

When he got back to the car, Jace was already there pacing around.

“Where were you?”

“Where do you think? Looking for you.”

“Inside the circus?”

“Yes.”

“And? It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Just get in the car. I have work to do and so do you” For some reason Alec opted not to tell his brother about the strange encounter nor that he had decided to return tonight.

 

 

 

That evening Alec returned to the circus, the sun had already set and the gates were open. He bought a ticket from a girl dressed in black evening gown with white crystals embedded into silk. She looked ready for a gala rather than a night selling tickets at a circus.

Last night Alec was sure to return. He wanted to explore more of the wonders that the Night Circus had to offer. One visit was nowhere near enough to witness it all. Now though, Alec had a different objective in mind. He wanted to see the man again. The problem was that Alec had no idea how to find him.

So he wandered around a bit, looking at the performers out in the open. He saw a beautiful contortionist effortlessly bending her body in seemingly painful and unnatural positions, all the while remaining stunning and elegant. He saw fire breathers performing fantastic feats among the crowd. Even their fire was white. Alec didn’t enter a single tent, walking around the circular paths that led him around the endless maze that the Night Circus was.

However, one of the smaller tents caught his eye. It was striped in black and white just like all the others, it was rather small in comparison to the one next to it. This one didn’t have a flashy sign or crowds of people around it. So Alec didn’t know exactly what made him choose this tent out of the dozens. As he got closer he saw a rather simple black sign with silver words etched into it.

_Feats of Illustrious Illusions_

He stepped inside and saw a circle of simple white wooden chairs. There were less than thirty of them, all facing the center of the tent. Alec chose a seat directly across the entrance and then other patrons started pilling in, occupying empty chairs. Soon only two seats remained empty. One next to him and one closest to the entrance. Someone sat next to Alec. And when he glanced at the newcomer he was faced with the mysterious man from earlier. This time he was wearing white military jacket with black embroidery. His eyes were lined with black but there was also a hint of silver glitter. To top it all of he was wearing a black silk top hat. The man winked at Alec and at the same time the last empty chair burst into white flames.

People sitting closest to it sprang to their feet and ran towards the exit, only to find that it had vanished. Only a solid wall remained. As if it never even existed. At that the man rose from his chair, took off his top hat and threw it towards the burning chair. While in air the hat transformed into waves and waves of black silk. It landed on the chair and effectively put out the fire. The man walked over and lifted the material only to reveal a large ink black raven. He fluttered his wings and took off towards the ceiling, disappearing completely. The man stepped to the center and bowed elegantly to his patrons. The illusionist had made his entrance.

This show was nothing like Alec had ever seen before. Given that he’s an event planer he had his fair share of encounters with various illusionists and magicians. Nothing come even close to what he saw here. Throughout the performance three more ravens appeared out of thin air, one of them stayed in the empty chair next to Alec. At some point the entire tent changed color from black to white and so did all of the spectator’s clothes, and it started snowing. Snowflakes never reached the ground though. The only other color than white was the black raven by Alec’s side. Later the illusionist lifted all the chairs slightly in the air and shifted them to the left. Now Alec was closer to where the exit once was.

While watching the spectacle Alec absently noted that due to the way the chairs were arranged and the proximity of the “stage” there was no space for mirrors, trap doors or light effects.

Once the performance was over the illusionist took a bow with a dramatic spin. All ravens started flying towards the man with increasing speed. They hit him without ever stopping. Then they were gone. They left nothing behind but a pile of pitch black feathers.

Patrons stood to their feet to applaud. The exit appeared where it was and they gathered to leave. Alec stayed. He stayed and waited. After a while it became clear that the man won’t return so he left as well.

Somehow disappointed Alec reached the main courtyard and watched the white flames of the bonfire. He felt a light tap on shoulder. Alec once again was faced with the beautiful illusionist. Only this time he was wearing color: a burgundy jacket and his hair was tipped in red. Right now he looked like any other patron. No that was a lie. He still was the most gorgeous man Alec has ever seen.

“Here” he said as he gave Alec one of the cups in his hands. “I’m glad you came, Alexander”

“Thank you” Alec replied taking a sip of hot beverage. It was the most delicious apple cider and he didn’t even like cider. “I still don’t know your name.”

“Magnus Bane.” He replied with a soft smile, drinking from his own cup.

“Right. Is that your real or stage name?”

The man – Magnus – laughed lightly “wouldn’t you want to know” he winked at Alec “we don’t have stage names here. Come on, I want to show you something.”

He linked his arm through Alec’s and started walking down one of the paths. Strangely Alec didn’t mind contact or the close proximity.

“Did you like the show?”

It was difficult for Alec to find the right words to explain the experience or to describe how much he enjoyed Magnus’ performance. He settled with “yes, it was spectacular. You’re amazing.”

The smile that appeared on Magnus’ face was quite literally breathtaking.

“Why thank you, Alexander.”

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

“A magician never reveals his secrets, dear” he said with a wink thrown in for good measure.

“Are you always so cryptic?”

“It comes with the job. Look! We’re here” Magnus said while entering one of the tents. “This is one of my favorite places in the entire circus”

Nothing that Magnus said could’ve prepared Alec for what was inside. It was a garden made entirely out of ice. Everything was white and crisp and magical. He couldn’t see how far the garden went, since the canvas of the tent was covered with willows and leaves. There were hundreds of field flowers growing out of still black grass. Their petals were so thin you could almost see through them. Magnus led them to a bench near a small pond. Did the circus actually dig a pond here? Alec couldn’t bring himself to ask, afraid to ruin the spell. Much to Alec’s joy, they seemed to be the only people here.

The two of them sat on the bench and talked while sipping somehow still hot cider. They talked about everything and nothing. Magnus told him about the places he visited with the circus, peculiar people he met, his hobbies aside from the obvious, some crazy stories he got involved with his friends. In return Alec told him about his siblings and their ability to constantly get in trouble, about his work and his professional and completely not biased opinion of the circus, he shared his plans for the future and dreams. They connected through their love of literature and Magnus promised to show Alec his collection of books someday.

The garden was a few degrees colder than the outside world. It wasn’t exactly cold but it didn’t stop Alec to use it as an excuse to sit closer to Magnus. Or was it Magnus who closed the distance between them?

“So tell me, what were you and your brother doing here during the day?

Alec just rolled his eyes “It was Jace’s idea. Well, technically, it was Simon’s.”

“Simon’s? Who is Simon?” Magnus asked as his curiosity picked up.

“Jace’s girlfriend’s best friend. It was a dare.” He said while playing with rings on Magnus’ fingers. “I think he was trying to impress her. Or assert dominance. You can never be sure. I was here only to save his ass if needed.”

“And yet you were the one who got caught.” Magnus chuckled.

“You guys didn’t notice him?”

“Nope. Although I knew you were coming.”

“How?”

“A little birdie told me” Alec wasn’t sure if Magnus was joking or not. Anything was possible in _Le Cirque des R_ _ê_ _ves_. Who knew, maybe one of his birds really could talk.

“I should get back to my tent. I’ve already missed one of my shows because of you.”

“I.. I’m sorry?” Alec really couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry. If anything he was tempted to ask Magnus to miss another one.

“Don’t be. I had a marvelous time, darling.” Magnus said with a smile and got up to leave.

“Could I go with you? I really did love your performance.” Alec asked before he could stop himself. Magnus just smiled at that.

“Of course.”

Back in the tent Magnus was wearing his white military jacket again, any color missing completely. Alec wasn’t sure which look he preferred.

This show started the same way as the first one. But now instead of ravens there was a dozen of white doves, instead of snow falling, hundreds of white flowers started sprouting from the ground. Only a few elements from previous show remained in this one. Alec wondered how many variations did Magnus have and how did he manage to pull it off.

This time when performance was over Alec didn’t see Magnus anywhere. However, when he got to his car, there was a bouquet of wild white flowers waiting for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec returned to the circus a few days later. He entered determined to go directly to the illusionist’s tent but was stopped by the man himself almost as soon as he entered.

“Don’t tell me, a little birdie told you that I was coming back?”

“No. This time it was our very own fortune-teller.” Magnus replied taking Alec by the hand and leading him somewhere.

“I saw her when I was first here. She did a reading for my sister. Izzy seemed very happy.” Alec remembered a beautiful woman working in a tiny yet cozy tent.

“Yes, Dot is very talented.”

“So are you.” Alec said without thinking. He could feel a blush starting to creep up.

“Alexander, flattery will get you everywhere.” Magnus smiled as they made their way towards a certain tent Magnus had chosen.

Before entering Alec saw a plate that read:

_Drinkery_

_Mature Visitors Only_

Inside was what had reminded Alec a lot of a wine cellar. There were a few patrons chatting by the small circular tables scattered around. Magnus escorted Alec to one and left him with a promise to return momentarily. Alec watched as Magnus made his way towards the counter and walked straight to the other side. Magnus thoughtfully considered his wine choices and a man working there seemed agitated with Magnus’ antics and was trying to shoo him away only for Magnus to wave his hand dismissively somewhere in his direction. When he seemed satisfied with his choice he returned to Alec with two glasses in hand.

“I personally prefer red to white wine, but you seem like someone who would enjoy a sweeter taste.” He said as he handed Alec one of the glasses.

“That’s not wrong” Alec replied with a smile, he glanced towards the man behind the counter “won’t you get in trouble for this?”

“Oh don’t mind him. Ragnor’s just a grumpy old man.”

They chatted for a while sipping their wine. It was so easy to talk to Magnus. Alec had opened up to him without really trying. But strangely enough it wasn’t scary, in fact he welcomed the trust he felt for the man.

A little later Magnus had another show but this time he promised to find Alec afterwards. Alec, though, had no desire to wander alone so he opted for waiting watching Magnus’ performance once more. It was just as magical as the ones before.

After that Magnus found Alec in the main courtyard. They stopped and watched the contortionist’s performance. This time she was wearing white, the color beautifully contrasted with her dark skin and curly hair. The performance ended when she disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. Apparently people in this circus had a thing for ending their shows by vanishing. After that Alec bought them a bag of popcorn to eat as they walked around.

“You know I could’ve gotten it for free” Magnus said “perks of working here.”

“Well I wanted to get something for you too.”  

They walked around a bit until they finished the popcorn and Magnus suggested they visit the Menagerie. Alec agreed expecting to see something similar to a zoo instead one of the tents was turned almost into a forest were wild cats roamed freely. There were white lions, snow leopards, a few white tigers and some black panthers. Some patrons were playing with them, there was even a toddler riding a lion. A large black lioness trotted their way and nuzzled her head to Magnus’ hand. Who in turn started petting her.

“This is Layla” Magnus said to Alec. “She’s my baby. Do you want to pet her?”

“Pet her? A lion?” Alec couldn’t believe his eyes. Or ears for that matter.

“Yes, of course. She’s a sweetheart.” Magnus said smiling “I find that humans will pet anything. A lion is hardly the strangest thing.”

At that Alec slowly raised his hand and put it on Magnus’ head starting to pet him. Both Magnus and Layla somehow managed to look quite similar to one another with quizzical looks on their faces. Alec was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“Well it seems that your theory is correct” Alec said his fingers still intertwined in Magnus’ hair “humans will pet anything. Also your hair is very soft. I thought it would be stiff with all that product in it.”

This brought Magnus back from his little shock. “Excuse you, Alexander, there is no product in my hair. As if it would ever need such mundane methods to defy gravity.” He puffed out crossing arms on his chest. Alec didn’t miss a smile he was trying to suppress.

“Of course not, there’s nothing mundane about you.”

 

 

 

They spent their nights like this. Walking through the circus, Magnus showing him the best tents and places not every patron got to see. Alec had lost count how many times he had seen Magnus perform. Each and every one just as magical as the last. Magnus had introduced him to some of his friends: Ragnor who worked at the Drinkery, beautiful contortionist Maia, Catarina who was taking care of the wild cats, dancers with fire Raphael and Lily. They all seemed friendly and welcoming to Alec. Ragnor teased Magnus to no end and Raphael joined in whenever he could. It was nice to see Magnus interacting with his friends. At that moment Alec wanted nothing more than to introduce him to his siblings.  However pleasant it was, Alec could feel that the troupe was hiding something from him. He assumed that it was quite normal, he was an outsider after all, and didn’t pay much thought to it.

One evening, just before the dawn, Magnus brought him to yet another tent that Alec hadn’t seen previously. This one wasn’t as big as some of the others. The sign in front read:

_The Wishing Tree_

In the tent there was only one large tree. It had no leaves but it didn’t seem dead. On the branches there were hundreds of little candles. Their white flames illuminated the tent making shadows of the branches dance on the canvas.

“You make a wish and light up your candle using one of the candles that’s already burning” Magnus whispered “wishes ignited by other wishes.”

He handed Alec one of candles from a little box. He took it and thought carefully. Once he decided on the wish, he lit it up and put on a nearby branch. Magnus had been watching his every move.

“You’re not going to make a wish?” Alec asked quietly.

“I’ve already have.”

“Did it come true?”

 “I’m not sure yet. I think it did.” Magnus seemed to consider his next question a bit. “If I were to ask you what you wished for, would you tell me?”

Alec looked at Magnus and in spur of the moment closed what little distance there was between them. He kissed Magnus hard and hungry, and he responded just as urgently. Alec broke the kiss and looked Magnus in the eyes, which were a bit glazed and unfocused. He leaned in again and captured Magnus’ lips once more. This time the kiss was sweet and soft, full of adoration and affection.

The two of them kissed under the lights of the wishing tree until dawn. Then Alec had to leave the circus and Magnus behind. They parted with last good-bye kiss and a promise to see each other the following night.

 

 

 

Alec was sitting in a café near his office, drinking or rather looking at already cold black coffee. He couldn’t get Magnus out of his mind. He remembered each of his performances, the way he moved as if he was floating, his smile, his eyes, his voice, the taste of his lips, how Magnus made him feel free, loved and cherished. He was counting hours until the sunset, until he got to see the man again.

Alec’s attention was brought back to reality when the doors of the café opened harshly and in walked Magnus. The outfit that he wore was dark but full of color, from his shirt to his make-up and the tiniest sparkles of his scarf. Magnus walked towards the counter without even a glance to Alec or anything else at the café. Alec couldn’t shake the feeling that the illusionist somehow looked wrong here. Not because he was wearing color, he’d seen it every time Magnus wanted to be unnoticed by other patrons, but because he wasn’t at the circus. It looked as if he didn’t belong here. Outside world was far too simple for someone like Magnus.

Alec watched as he chatted briefly with the barista and ordered something. Then he turned around and made his way to Alec.

“Hello, darling.” He said with a blinding smile as he leaned down and gave Alec a hello kiss. Magnus put the umbrella he was carrying on a back of the chair and sat down in front of Alec.

“Hi. Um.. what are you doing here?”

“We were planning to meet, remember? Or is this a bad time?” Magnus seemed to waver a bit.

“No, of course not. I just wasn’t expecting you. I thought we would meet at the circus.”

“The circus is closed for the night.” Magnus said and thanked the barista as she put two cups of coffee on the table.

“Really? Why?” Alec was taken aback. In all the time that the circus was in New York it had never missed a single night.

“Bad weather.” Was all Magnus had said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Alec looked out the window. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. “okay….”

“How as your day?” Magnus asked, not paying attention to confusion in Alec’s voice.

“Terrific” he said sounding anything but happy. “Do you know that every recent client that I had wanted their event to be strictly white and black? Even the weddings. I blame you, Magnus.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You and your circus.” he accused and Magnus only laughed at that. “Everyone seems crazy about that circus of yours.”

“And you?”

“Especially me. But that might be just you, not the circus.” Alec felt himself blush a little but the look on Magnus’ face was worth it.

They talked for a few hours long after they finished their drinks. One of Magnus’ bracelets somehow ended up wrapped around Alec’s wrist and he would be lying if he said that he was ever planning on returning it.

“Maybe we should get some actual food? I know this great Ethiopian place just around the corner. Would you like to come?” Magnus suggested.

“Mr. Bane, are you asking me out on a date?” Alec asked. He wasn’t sure if this was what Magnus had in mind. Was he stepping over the line? Did their times at the circus could be counted as dates? Was this what it was? Dating?

“Only if you agree, Mr. Lightwood.” Magnus said playfully.

“I would love to, but…” he trailed off as he looked out the window. It was raining heavily and by the looks of it it had been raining for a while. Alec couldn’t even see the cars passing by properly. It was as if there was a wall made of water “maybe we should stay here? Wait out the rain.”

“Trust me, Alexander, it’s going to rain for a while. We might as well leave now.” Magnus stood up and offered his hand to Alec who took it despite his uncertainty.

They walked out the door and Magnus used his umbrella to cover them both from harsh wind and rain. As they were walking down the street Alec noticed that he wasn’t cold, quite the opposite actually, he was warm. And dry for that matter. There was not a single drop of water anywhere on him. Even his shoes were perfectly dry. He looked up to the umbrella and then Magnus, who was animatedly telling one of his crazy stories, this time about Peru. Alec decided better not to ask. He suspected that people were constantly asking Magnus about his tricks and how he performed them. He didn’t want to be one of those people. Besides he would rather get to know the man behind the illusionist.

They settled in a nearby restaurant. Alec had never tried Ethiopian food before but this was one of the best meals he had ever had. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the company. They stayed there until closing time drinking delicious wine, flirting and exchanging fun stories, stealing small kisses. Neither of them felt tired yet, it was comparably early for Magnus and Alec got used to spending the nights awake, so they decided to take a walk through the city, Magnus’ umbrella protecting them from rough weather. Somehow Magnus ended up walking Alec home and now they found themselves on the steps of his apartment building.

“I had a lovely evening, Alexander.” Magnus said looking him straight in the eyes, his gaze full of honesty and affection.

“Yeah, me too.” Alec replied and leaned down to take Magnus’ lips. It was cliché really, kissing in the rain after their first date, when Magnus had walked him home. But honestly Alec couldn’t think of anything more perfect at the moment. Maybe it was the wine or the taste of Magnus’ lips or the dreaded feeling of saying goodbye but Alec couldn’t care less or think of the reason to stop himself so he just asked “maybe you want to, umm, come upstairs? Have a drink or watch a movie?”

That was all Alec intended, it really was. All he wanted was a bit more time in Magnus’ company. But once they made their way to his apartment there were heated kisses and wandering hands and clothes being pulled off and thrown to the ground as they blindly made their way to the bedroom.

 

 

 

He woke up to the feeling of a warm body pressed to him. Alec looked down and saw Magnus curled up next to him, his hair tousled and make up smudged. Alec had never seen anything this beautiful in this entire life. He couldn’t suppress his smile as Magnus’ face scrunched up adorably and he buried his face in Alec’s shoulder mumbling something in his sleep. He let himself be pulled close by the strong arms around his waist and sighed happily before dozing off again.

Next time he woke up by feather light touches on his cheek.

“It tickles” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

“Oh, Alexander, I didn’t know you were ticklish.” Magnus replied with a playful tease.

“I’m not.” Alec defended trying to cover himself with a duvet. That was his mistake because Magnus took this as a challenge and Magnus took his challenges very seriously.

“Oh really?” Magnus asked. He threw the duvet off the bed and his hands made their way to Alec’s abdomen, tickling him mercilessly.

Alec tried to throw him off and tickle him back. Their fight got a bit out of hand with both of them panting and laughing. Alec finally got on top of Magnus and pined his arms to his sides successfully ending the vicious battle. Alec looked at the man below him and a smile spread across his entire face.

“Good morning.” He finally said and leaned down to peck Magnus’s lips lightly.

“Morning.” Magnus all but purred. “As much as I love this new position, I’m in a dire need of a shower. Care to join me, darling?”

Alec was more than glad to comply with the request and if they spent more time in the shower than strictly needed no one could really blame them.

 

 

 

They somehow got into a new routine. Alec would visit Magnus at the circus and watch a few of his performances. They would walk around, enter a few tents here and there. One night Alec found a shooting game and then their competitive spirits wouldn’t let them go a single night without a little competition. After the circus was closed they would return to Alec’s place and spend the day there. It was a good thing that Alec could do most of his work from home, so needless to say that no one saw him at the office for a couple of weeks. That ultimately lead to some problems, namely Izzy.

Alec was woken up by an annoying buzzing sound. It took him a couple of seconds to register that it was his doorbell. Alec looked at Magnus who was still sleeping soundly and carefully untangled himself from his embrace. Once he opened the door he was met with a rather annoyed looking Isabelle. Her expression changed as soon as looked at Alec.

“Oh my god!” She exclaimed with a wide grin and pushed herself in Alec’s apartment.

“Hi, Izzy. What are you doing here so early?” Alec asked closing the door behind her.

“Early?? Alec, it’s nearly 1pm! I had my suspicions but now being here I can clearly see you’re seeing someone. About time, big brother” she said almost jumping with excitement. “Tell me, how long has this been going on?”

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Alec said not meeting her gaze.

“Give me some credit, I’m not stupid you know? You haven’t been to the office in weeks. You do everything remotely now and you’re actually using your assistant for once. You haven’t gone on your morning runs with Jace either and you missed two movie nights. You never miss our movie nights!” She seemed to be on a roll and by the looks of it she wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, so Alec just let her rant. There was no stopping Izzy when she got like this. “And now! It’s 1pm and you just rolled out of bed. Usually you wake up at the crack of dawn! Also these” she said gesturing to the white wild flower bouquet on the coffee table “and I don’t remember buying you that coat by the door either and you would never buy something like that yourself. So the only question left is who is this mysterious man?”

“That would be me.” Magnus said stifling a yawn. He made his way over to them and pecked Alec’s cheek mumbling a sweet “good morning, dear” which left Alec with a sappy look on his face and for a moment he forgot that his sister was even in the room as he looked at Magnus.

“Oh god, you two are so cute!”

“Umm, Izzy this is Magnus, my, umm, boyfriend” the last bit had sounded a bit like a question to which Magnus just beamed and kissed his cheek again.

“You must be the lovely Isabelle. I heard so much about you. It truly is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Magnus said with a charming smile. Alec was sure that he could charm anyone.

They sat in the kitchen and drank coffee with Alec’s special waffles. Isabelle wanted to know everything about them and she had so many embarrassing stories from Alec’s childhood to share that they could’ve sit there for days.

“So how long has this been going on?” she asked gesturing between the two of them with her fork.

“Almost a month, I think.” Magnus replied.

“A month?! Alexander Gideon Lightwood! You’ve been hiding this from me for a month!?” She seemed almost outraged.

“Gideon?” Magnus looked over at Alec with amusement.

“Oh, shush you.” Alec said to Magnus. He turned to Izzy and tried to find the best words to ask for forgiveness for such horrible crime that he had committed but Magnus was first one to speak.

“That would be my fault. I’m afraid I’ve been monopolizing Alexander’s time.” Izzy just looked at him thoughtfully.

“Well I can’t really blame you. My brother is a catch.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Magnus replied looking directly at Alec with such a loving look that it set all the butterflies in his stomach free.

Izzy really did want to get all the details so they talked some more. Before leaving she promised to come to the circus to see Magnus’ performance since she missed it the last time she’d been here. She also ordered Alec to bring his new boyfriend to the upcoming movie night.

 

 

 

It had never been difficult to find Magnus in the circus. It was as if a magnetic force was connecting them. So Alec wasn’t surprised at all that night when he didn’t go to Magnus’ tent immediately but still found him standing by the carousel. Once he got closer he wrapped his hands around Magnus’ waist and kissed his temple.

“Hey” Alec breathed out.

“Hey yourself.” Magnus replied with a lazy smile. “I’m so sorry, darling, I’m chaperoning tonight. You could join us, but I don’t know how much you’re going to like running after a couple of kids.”

“Max and Madzie?” Magnus nodded. “I don’t mind. Besides I wanted to meet them.” Alec smiled.

“Well then you’re in for a treat, they can be quite a handful.” Magnus replied and cupped Alec’s cheek bringing him closer for a sweet kiss. They were interrupted by kids shouting Magnus’ name and running up to them. The two of them stopped when they noticed Alec.

“Max, Madzie, this is my very good friend Alec. He’s going to spend the night with us.”

“Hey” Alec said and put on his best smile.

Two pairs of identical dark eyes looked him up and down then the twins turned at one another and started giggling. Magnus and Alec looked at them with confusion. The little boy was first one to speak.

“Uncle Ragnor says he’s not just a friend.” Max was giggling again.

“Uncle Ragnor should mind his own business.” Magnus puffed out crossing his arms and Alec chuckles at the scene before him. It seems that Ragnor had been teaching the little ones to tease Magnus as well.

“Can we ride the carousel again? Pretty please?” Madzie asked them with hopeful eyes.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

The twins were off again, running towards the cart and setting in. Magnus made sure that they were safely strapped in and left them be.

“Maybe you would like to go as well? You know the carousel goes more than just round and around.” Magnus suggested once he returned to Alec.

“I don’t doubt that, but I rather be here with you, _friend_.” The last word was said with a teasing note as he wrapped an arm around his waist.

The night was a lot more fun than Alec had expected. The twins took a liking to Alec and Madzie ended up on his shoulders. It was clear to him that Magnus adored the twins with all his heart and Alec could see why. They were precious. Alec couldn’t help but imagine that this was how their family would look like. He pushed these thoughts away, it was far too early to be thinking like that.

“Alec should come with us.” Madzie declared out of the blue.

Alec looked up at the girl on his shoulders. He didn’t know what to say so he just glanced at Magnus who was holding Max on his hip. Magnus looked between Alec and Madzie with intensity in his eyes.

“Did you see it in the stars?” Magnus asked carefully.

“Yes.” She said matter-of-factly and looked up at the sky and so did Magnus. Alec followed suit but he couldn’t understand exactly what he was supposed to see. Then Madzie looked back at him and said in a very serious tone for a six-year-old girl. “Alec? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course” Alec tried to answer as lightly as he could.

“May I have a caramel apple?” She asked with the same intensity.

“Sure.” He replied with a smile.

“Hey! I want one too!” Max whined and Magnus chuckled at that.

“Well then we better go and get some.”

And just like that all the sudden tension was gone.

They spent a few hours at _the Hall of Mirrors_ and _the Cloud Maze_. It seemed to be the favorite places for the twins so they stayed there a little longer. It was around 3 am when Magnus announced that Max and Madzie should go to bed. Even if they lived the nocturnal lives with the circus, a bedtime was a bedtime and Magnus would not be persuaded. Not by whining, not by bargaining and not even by bribing (bless Max and his adorable ways). It also was decided that Alec will go with them to so called “backstage” and help Magnus get the little ones to sleep.

It was the first time that he got to see the living quarters, it made Alec feel truly special and privileged to see this side of the circus life. While everything in the circus was black and white, the backstage was full of color, every color imaginable was here. The twins room was no exception it looked as if someone took cans of different color paint and splattered it all over the place. Magnus and Alec quickly got them ready for bed. Max asked for a bedtime story and Alec was more than happy to comply.

Once they were asleep, Magnus took Alec to his room. It was beautiful and elegant, just like Magnus. There wasn’t that much color compared to some other rooms, but the entire place bathed in warm shades of brown and gold. But what really caught Alec’s attention was the books. Walls were covered with bookshelves which were completely filled with books. A lot of them didn’t even fit on the bookshelves and were littered all around the room in neat piles here and messy heaps there. It almost seemed as if the room was made from books. Alec had never seen so many of them in one place other than the library.

“I did say I would show you my collection sometime.” Magnus said as he flopped down on the bed and stretched out his limbs.

“I didn’t actually expect it to be so massive” Alec said eyeing the books.

“You can take some if you’d like.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Nonsense. I insist. I have more than enough already.” Magnus waved his hand around lazily.

Alec looked around and picked up a few books carrying them to the bed as he laid down next to Magnus. He read through synopsis as Magnus told the story how he came to possess this particular copy. They stayed cooped in Magnus’ room for the rest of the night, slowly dozing off in each other arms as the sun began to rise.

 

 

 

A few days later Alec had to return to the office to take care of some matters personally and he actually had managed to do so since he hadn’t seen Magnus the previous night. It was strange getting up and getting ready without him here. Alec’s hands itched to take his phone and text Magnus only to remember that he never got his number. He never needed to, somehow they could find each other wherever. Alec sighed into his coffee cup and left for work.

He took a slow walk to the office opting for a route that had a clear view of the circus. What he hadn’t expected was to see the place where the circus was located to be empty. Gone were the black and white striped tents as if they were never even there. There was no sign that the circus was here before.

He felt as if someone blew up the ground beneath his feet. Alec couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He wandered around the empty field that once held the magical place, looking for something. Something that would help him find the circus, find Magnus. But there was nothing. Nothing at all.

Eventually he took out his phone and texted Izzy that he won’t be able to make it in today and went home to an empty apartment with an empty heart.

When he returned home he went straight to his bedroom with no intention of ever coming out. Instead something on the coffee table got his attention. It was a steaming cup of apple cider and a card next to it. Alec didn’t need to taste it to know that it was the same exact cider Magnus and he drank the first night at the circus. He carefully picked up the card. It was black on one side and white on the other. _Le_ _Cirque des R_ _ê_ _ves_ was inscribed on the black side with a beautiful silver script. On the other side was a hand written phone number.

“Magnus always had a flair to dramatics” he thought as he took out his phone with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it for my Night Circus au. Thank you for reading <3 Kudos and comments are welcome and appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> I highly suggest reading the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, if you haven't yet. It really is a fantastic book. I only borrowed the setting and a few elements of the story, so there's no real spoilers here.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are appreciated. <3
> 
> See you later


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